Keith Jardine: The World's Greatest Gatekeeper

If you watched Strikeforce: Diaz vs Daley this weekend, you already know about the extremely gutsy performance by Keith Jardine who took Gegard Mousasi to a Majority Draw on a week's notice. It was not the prettiest fight and there is controversy surrounding the decision, but there should be nothing but praise for Jardine's performance, no matter how sloppy it was or how gassed he was by the end of the third round. Keith Jardine is an anomaly in MMA and has had a far more successful career than someone of his athletic ability should have. 

Jardine was one of the original members of the Team Greg Jackson camp, long before the arrival of Georges St. Pierre and Rashad Evans brought fame and fortune to the now super camp. After the success of his teammate Diego Sanchez in the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Jardine was one of the top heavyweight prospects on the cast for the second season. Though unsuccessful in his attempt at winning the TUF crown, losing to his future brother Rashad Evans in the semi-finals, Jardine fought on the finale, beating Kerry Schall. 

During his tenure in the UFC, Jardine would face six top 10 fighters and defeat Forrest Griffin and Chuck Liddell, at a time when Liddell was still seen as relevant in the sport. His defeats to Wanderlei Silva, Quinton Jackson, Thiago Silva, and Ryan Bader is arguably the strongest strength of schedule in UFC history for a non-champion or someone in the contender role. Jardine made a career of being the most game fighter in the UFC locker room. It was only after dropping four straight fights that he was dropped. His skid continued in his fight with Trevor Prangley, one that he should have won, at Shark Fights 13 (the promotions only attempt at pay per view). 

Jardine is not a super athletic fighter like his teammates Rashad Evans and Georges St. Pierre, nor is he a "meathead" the likes of Matt Hughes. Jardine is someone who shouldn't have found success in MMA. The fact that he was successful against two former UFC champions out of three attempts should say a lot about the man. Many will use the term "gatekeeper" as a way to criticize a fighter having just enough ability to keep people from reaching contender status without actually being a contender themselves. In Keith Jardine's case, the term should describe his endearing qualities to always bring the fight without resorting to boring stall tactics. You know when you watch a Keith Jardine fight you'll see a man fight far above his genetic talents, ending in either a spectacular knockout or a brutal fight. For that reason, Keith Jardine will go down as the Greatest Gatekeeper Of All Time (GGOAT).